Kevin
October 28, 2021
Common Questions

Do you know what the word indignation means? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word indignation, including its meaning, usage, synonyms, origin, and more!

What does the word indignation mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word indignation is a noun which refers to negative feelings, scornful displeasure, or another discrete emotion. This could be the effect of anger at social environments or the behavior of others, strong displeasure felt in social emotions, or the behaviors or reactive emotion of anger. Indignation can be felt for a variety of reasons, from pride, to judgments, to mistreatment and cruel tortures. The word indignation is four syllables – in-dig-na-tion, and the pronunciation of indignation is ɪndɪgneɪʃən.

According to Asking Lot, the word indignation is used in Christian doctrines as well. There is a concept called “righteous indignation,” which is considered the only form of anger which is not sinful. For example, in one illustration in the book of Esther, When Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate at the temple, he was full of indignation against Mordecai because he stood not up, nor moved for him. He believed this was unfair treatment. This is also used in Kings, Isaiah, and Corinthians, according to Webster’s Dictionary. Particularly, the word indignation references the wrath of God against sinful men for their ingratitude, unfair treatment and rebellion and can be mingled with contempt, disgust or abhorrence.

Many different languages also contain words that mean indignation. You may notice that some of these words look and sound similar to each other. These are called cognates, which are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin like Latin or Greek. This list of translations of indignation is provided by Word Sense. Indignant also has related words that include undignified, indignant, indign, dignify, and deign. These cover a variety of different parts of speech including an adjective, verb, and noun.

Romanian: indignare‎ (fem.)

Portuguese: indignação‎ (fem.)

French: indignation‎ (fem.)

Russian: возмуще́ние‎ (neut.)

German: Empörung‎ (fem.), Entrüstung‎ (fem.)

Japanese: 憤慨‎ (ふんがい, fungai), 憤り‎ (いきどおり, ikidōri), 憤懣‎ (ふんまん, funman)

Hungarian: felháborodás‎, méltatlankodás‎

Finnish: suuttumus‎

Dutch: verontwaardiging‎ (fem.)

Maori: whakatakariri‎

Tagalog: ngupinyo‎, pangungupinyo‎

Catalan: indignació‎ (fem.)

Chinese – Mandarin: 憤慨‎, 愤慨‎ (fènkǎi)

Spanish: indignación‎ (fem.)

Greek: αγανάκτηση‎ (fem.)

What are synonyms and antonyms of indignation?

There are many different words that one can use in place of the word indignation. These words are called synonyms. Synonyms are words that mean the same thing as a given word or phrase, and that can be used interchangeably. One might choose to use a synonym to expand their own vocabulary, to avoid repeating themselves, or to choose a word that makes the most sense for the context. The below list of synonyms for the word indignation is provided by Power Thesaurus.

aversion

offenses

irritability

annoyance

insult

malice

gall

antagonism

angriness

disgruntlement

resentments

ill temper

huffiness

acrimony

bile

animus

fume

unhappiness

dissatisfaction

discontent

boiling point

vexations

chagrin

bother

miff

tantrum

bitterness

injury

spleen

embitterment

ire

discontentment

dudgeon

high dudgeon

conniption fit

disfavor

virulence

irritation

disapproval

offence

irascibility

annoyances

hissy fit

outcry

outrage

birse

protest

blackball

bad feelings

grudge

distaste

anger

bad mood

soreness

aggravation

ill feelings

peevishness

envy

outburst

umbrage

pique

scorn

offense

affront

ill humor

outrages

temper

complaint

resentment

infuriation

irritations

indignant

ill feeling

irateness

rancor

hostility

fury

personal displeasure

choler

passion

hatred

vexation

impatience

mad

wrath

slow burn

displeasure

wrathfulness

animosity

crossness

rage

rages

provocation

opprobrium

acerbity

disapprobation

petulance

enmity

antipathy

exasperation

hate

frenzy

But what if someone wanted to use a word that meant the opposite of indignation? In this case, they would use an antonym, or opposite word. An antonym is a word or phrase that means the opposite of a given word or phrase. The below list of antonyms for indignation is also provided by Power Thesaurus.

awesome admiration

great admiration

veneration

support

complacency

liking

pleasure

tremendous admiration

answer

compensation

custom

homage

acclaim

glee

greatest admiration

sanction

deference

admiration

acceptance

honour

love

appreciation

enjoyment

dulia

affection

full of admiration

compliments

adoration

approval

craving

utmost admiration

great respect

endorsement

comfort

contentment

okay

patience

plaudits

cheerfulness

pats on the back

clearance

awe

tributes

accolades

utmost respect

peacetime

consensus

self-control

convenience

flattery

accord

approbation

joy

comfortableness

commendation

lot of admiration

profound admiration

certainty

praise

respect

welfare

estimation

applause

cheer

high regard

allowance

satisfaction

regard

favour

happiness

calmness

agreement

great deal of admiration

recognition

ratification

compliment

harmony

adulation

delectation

calm

esteem

worship

content

consent

great appreciation

affinity

extolment

contentedness

amuse

charm

unanimity

peace

coziness

delight

What is the origin of the word indignation?

According to Etymonline, the word indignation has been used since the year 1200 as the Middle English indignacioun. This comes from the Old French indignation as well as the Latin indignationem, which is the nominative form of the Latin indignatio/indignātiōn. The Latin indignatio/Latin indignātiō is a form of the verb indignare, the past participle of indignārī (perfect passive participle indignatus) and is related to the Latin adjective indignus. This comes from the Latin dignus and Proto Indo European root dek no, which means to take or accept.

Overall, the word indignation means a self-righteous anger or feeling of revenge. Intense indignation can be felt for a variety of reasons. One might regard a person they do not like with indignation. Have you ever felt indignation toward a person or thing? If so, how did you combat your emotions? Try using this word of the day in a sentence today!

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